Collaboration is the New “Cure-All.”

Everywhere we look we see this. From business to politics, collaboration is being heralded as the next great solution to every problem.

And it is true. Working collaboratively is a powerful and transforming process delivering real and concrete benefits.

What most people don’t know is that one of the biggest obstacles to effectively realizing the huge rewards of collaboration is understanding it’s core principals and concepts.

What Collaboration is NOT: Collaboration is not a type of partnership or a form of teamwork. A partnership or team is based on pre-identifiable goals and mutual need.

What Collaboration is Collaboration’s guiding principle is the acceptance that no individual has all the answers related any given challenge, issue, need or possible solution. In fact, a complete understanding can only be achieved by combining everyone’s different perspectives.

It is through this collective exploration that we are able to grasp the true scope and breadth of an issue and begin to formulate effective, real and practical strategies and solutions.

Information Technology has created a virtual toolbox of applications we can effectively use to expand the boundaries of how collaborations can work.

As we build a collaborative container or frame for the work we do, we have the capacity to better focus more on process and less on personality.